Exergy analysis is applied in the thesis research to evaluate the energy usage of a pilot scale milk processing system. Using water as made-up fluid milk, the performance of separate components of the system was examined during steady state operation using both exergy and energy principles. The irreversibility distribution among these components was obtained to show the impact of energy degradation in each component on the overall system thermal performance. The difference between energy and exergy methods is discussed through comparisons of First and Second Law efficiencies to demonstrate the importance of exergy analysis. A mathematical programming model was constructed in terms of the exergy concept and solved numerically in an attempt to find a set of optimal operating state variables (temperatures and flow rates) under which irreversibility of the entire system is theoretically minimized. Finally, suggestions for operational management of the system and its components are presented which could increase the efficiency of energy usage in the system, thus reducing energy costs.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:arizona.edu/oai:arizona.openrepository.com:10150/291475 |
| Date | January 1991 |
| Creators | Fang, Zigang, 1958- |
| Contributors | Larson, Dennis L. |
| Publisher | The University of Arizona. |
| Source Sets | University of Arizona |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text, Thesis-Reproduction (electronic) |
| Rights | Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. |
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